Understanding Plagiarism
Lesson Plan for Grade 4, Writing
Adapted from Common Sense Media
Digital Citizenship Lesson “Whose Is It, Anyway?”
https://www.commonsense.org/education/system/files/3-5-unit1-whoseisitanyway-2017.pdf?x=1
OVERVIEW & PURPOSE
Dr. Mark Warschauer, a leading researcher on the effects of technology on writing, wrote that the very serious concern of plagiarism has increased since the advent of the internet. Research shows that since students find it very easy to cut and paste information from the internet, such as memes and photographs, they are transferring this action of copying to what should be formal, academic writing. In my own classroom, I see students copying an entire article and pasting it to their Google Doc, claiming the work as their own. The lesson “Whose Is It, Anyway?” is a wonderful lesson that introduces students to what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
COMMON CORE STANDARDS Grade 4 ELA
RL 10; RI 1, 3, 4, 7 10; RF 4a; W2d, 4, 6, 7, 9b, 10; SL 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, SL2, 4, 5, L 3a, 6
OBJECTIVES
TIME: 30 minutes
MATERIALS NEEDED
INTRODUCTION
Essential Question: How can I show respect for people’s work?
3. How would you feel if someone pretended that your work was theirs?
Sample responses: Upset, sad, cheated. Discuss why it’s natural for people to want to be recognized and celebrated for their original ideas or efforts.
ACTIVITY
3. Explain how plagiarism is handled in this classroom: If you copy someone else’s work either by cutting and pasting, retyping, or handwriting the information and turning it in for a grade, you will not receive a grade. You will have to start over or take a zero.
4. Ask students to define respect. Explain that one way we show respect to other writers is by giving them credit for their words or ideas. One way is to provide a citation.
5. Define citation. Explain that it is basically a list of key information about a source used for a report or other research project, including the author, title, publisher, and date of publication.
6. Show the MLA style citation for the book Because of Winn-Dixie. Discuss the various parts of the citation: author, title, publisher, date, format.
DiCamillo, Kate. Because Of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, Mass. :Candlewick Press, 2000. eBook.
7. Read the excerpt “Here, Boy!” from Because of Winn-Dixie found on the Benchmark Advance student website.
8. Practice giving credit to the author and writing a citation. 9. Students will read the page-long excerpt.
10. Discuss the key details/evidence that reveal how the manager is feeling as the dog destroys his produce displays.
He’s crying. He’s shouting. He’s screaming for the pound. 11. Next students will write according to the following prompt:
From key details in the story, describe the emotional state that the manager was in when Opal found the dog in the store. Use those details to provide evidence to your inference. 12. Review citing the source within the text. Students may use the following sentence frame:
According to the (evidence, details) in the (book title) by (author), the manager was __________________ because _____________________. 13. Practice writing a citation below the sentence.
Assessment:
Wrap-Up
Review key vocabulary: plagiarism, respect, and citation and how they are all related.
Google Docs Link
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qWY53G965RIyENMyYz7xiagRN0S5kMxqf_uSO6gP7xM/edit#
Adapted from Common Sense Media
Digital Citizenship Lesson “Whose Is It, Anyway?”
https://www.commonsense.org/education/system/files/3-5-unit1-whoseisitanyway-2017.pdf?x=1
OVERVIEW & PURPOSE
Dr. Mark Warschauer, a leading researcher on the effects of technology on writing, wrote that the very serious concern of plagiarism has increased since the advent of the internet. Research shows that since students find it very easy to cut and paste information from the internet, such as memes and photographs, they are transferring this action of copying to what should be formal, academic writing. In my own classroom, I see students copying an entire article and pasting it to their Google Doc, claiming the work as their own. The lesson “Whose Is It, Anyway?” is a wonderful lesson that introduces students to what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
COMMON CORE STANDARDS Grade 4 ELA
RL 10; RI 1, 3, 4, 7 10; RF 4a; W2d, 4, 6, 7, 9b, 10; SL 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, SL2, 4, 5, L 3a, 6
OBJECTIVES
- Students will be able to define plagiarism and describe its consequences.
- Students will explain how giving credit is a sign of respect for people’s work.
- Students will articulate when it is acceptable to use people’s work, and how to write a citation.
TIME: 30 minutes
MATERIALS NEEDED
- “Here, Boy!” from Benchmark Advance, Unit 4 Student Dashboard. This is an excerpt from Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.
- Padlet
INTRODUCTION
Essential Question: How can I show respect for people’s work?
- Emphasize to students that they are all creators. Ask them to think about the times they recorded an idea they had--whether they wrote something down, uploaded it onto the internet, took a picture or video, or made something for class.
- Discuss : How did you show, or could you have shown, that your idea belonged to you and not to someone else?
3. How would you feel if someone pretended that your work was theirs?
Sample responses: Upset, sad, cheated. Discuss why it’s natural for people to want to be recognized and celebrated for their original ideas or efforts.
ACTIVITY
- Ask if anyone has heard the word plagiarism before.
3. Explain how plagiarism is handled in this classroom: If you copy someone else’s work either by cutting and pasting, retyping, or handwriting the information and turning it in for a grade, you will not receive a grade. You will have to start over or take a zero.
4. Ask students to define respect. Explain that one way we show respect to other writers is by giving them credit for their words or ideas. One way is to provide a citation.
5. Define citation. Explain that it is basically a list of key information about a source used for a report or other research project, including the author, title, publisher, and date of publication.
6. Show the MLA style citation for the book Because of Winn-Dixie. Discuss the various parts of the citation: author, title, publisher, date, format.
DiCamillo, Kate. Because Of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, Mass. :Candlewick Press, 2000. eBook.
7. Read the excerpt “Here, Boy!” from Because of Winn-Dixie found on the Benchmark Advance student website.
8. Practice giving credit to the author and writing a citation. 9. Students will read the page-long excerpt.
10. Discuss the key details/evidence that reveal how the manager is feeling as the dog destroys his produce displays.
He’s crying. He’s shouting. He’s screaming for the pound. 11. Next students will write according to the following prompt:
From key details in the story, describe the emotional state that the manager was in when Opal found the dog in the store. Use those details to provide evidence to your inference. 12. Review citing the source within the text. Students may use the following sentence frame:
According to the (evidence, details) in the (book title) by (author), the manager was __________________ because _____________________. 13. Practice writing a citation below the sentence.
Assessment:
- Students write their sentence and citation on Padlet for posting.
- Whole group discussion follows with immediate feedback from peers.
Wrap-Up
Review key vocabulary: plagiarism, respect, and citation and how they are all related.
Google Docs Link
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qWY53G965RIyENMyYz7xiagRN0S5kMxqf_uSO6gP7xM/edit#